Wise Words from My Friend, Dr. Mike Collins

By Allen White

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body. Philippians 3:20-21 (NIV)

As I read this verse, I thought of my friend, Dr. Mike Collins. He has agreed to share his story with us today:

“All my life, as an athlete, a coach and a professor in health science, I have studied and worked to make my body the best physical machine that it could be. Even in my 50s and 60s, I continue to jog in 10K runs, half marathons plus play racquetball and tennis. My passion drove me to keep my body a Temple of God. In January of 2003, I was involved in an automobile accident that left me a quadriplegic with no feeling from the chest down and unable to move any part of my body.

“Over the next months and years, I learned what a balanced life was all about and understand the beauty of the physical body, the skills of doctors, nurses and physical therapist plus the love of friends who all performed as God's earthly angels. I also moved from a life of almost total independence to complete dependency on God and His Earthly Angels. I have found that true happiness came to me by releasing my control and allowing God to use his wondrous power. I appreciate life more, care about people more and most importantly my spiritual walk with God grows each day. God blesses me each day with a greater love for him as I learned to provide Him with more and more control of my life.” – Mike Collins

One day Mike along with the rest of us who belong to Jesus will gain a spiritual body in Heaven. Mike will dance and run like he hasn’t for a while. I will be able to eat what I want and not get fat. What a day that will be!

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Abstinence is Easier Than Moderation

By Allen White

Listen, my son, and be wise, and keep your heart on the right path. Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags. Proverbs 23:19-21 (NIV)

Abstinence is easier than moderation. Growing up I was taught to completely avoid alcohol, but boy could we eat. It was acceptable to have indigestion. It was not acceptable to have a hangover. Drunkards were bad. Gluttons, well, that’s a very harsh way to describe a healthy appetite, right?

Here’s what I see in this verse: the actual food and drink is not evil or bad. The problem comes with what we do with them. If I eat a big fatty meal for lunch and cannot function at work in the afternoon is that any worse than having a three martini lunch? I don’t recommend either.

Why do we overindulge? First of all, we like it. But, there can be too much of a good thing, especially when it affects our health, our relationships, and our performance. Outside of pleasure, there is a deeper issue. Why do we turn to “comfort food” rather than the “Comforter” (John 14:16)? It doesn’t have to be overindulging in food or drink. It could be overworking, over-exercising, over-entertaining, or any use of pornography. These things are easily available. It’s there when we need it.

God is there when we need Him too. As we turn our trust from things we can control to the God who is in control over all, we can approach food and drink and work and exercise and entertainment with moderation and put them in their proper place.

What do you go to when you’re stressed out? What do you tend to overdo? Next time you’re tempted to overindulge, stop and ask God to help with what’s eating you.

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Are Your Spiritually Fit?

By Allen White

For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance 1 Timothy 4:8-9 (NIV)

Is exercise worthless? It’s easy to misunderstand what Paul is getting at here. It appears that he is saying, “Exercise is nice, but put your energy into what really matters.” That’s not what he’s saying.

As we’ve pointed out in this series, we are whole beings. We are not just a bunch of parts: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, relational, etc. The parts are interconnected and interrelated. We are the sum of these parts, and yet we are so much more.

This verse points to a place that some of us prefer not to go. If our physical discipline is down, it alerts us to the possibility of our overall discipline being down. What happens when we practice the discipline of fasting? We go without physical nourishment, and we are reminded that we can get by with far less of a lot of things: entertainment, careless words, busy work, and of course, food. The physical act of fasting relates to the non-physical parts of us.

Eugene Peterson in The Message puts it this way, “Exercise daily in God—no spiritual flabbiness, please! Workouts in the gymnasium are useful, but a disciplined life in God is far more so, making you fit both today and forever. “ 1 Timothy 4:8 (Msg)

Are you experiencing any spiritual flabbiness? Is that related to some physical flabbiness? You can take care of both by starting to prayer walk. Just walk around your neighborhood and silently pray for your neighbors. That’s just a suggestion. There are many ways to eliminate all of our “flabbiness.” Find what works best for you.

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Are You a Stud or a Dud?

By Allen White

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; 

your works are wonderful, I know that full well. Psalm 139:14 (NIV)

Most men would prefer to be a stud than a dud. But, not all of us are genetically predisposed to stud-hood. Sigh.

Several years ago in a men’s group, one of the guys told us that he developed a great sense of awe for God from an anatomy and physiology class. (In California, the natural follow-up question is: “What were you smokin’?” In South Carolina, we would just say, “Bless your heart.”). He explained about the intricacies of movement and function that allow our bodies to work. Any evolutionary process that might have developed the human body certainly would have been a miracle.

Eugene Peterson puts it this way in The Message:

“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;

   you formed me in my mother's womb.

   I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!

      Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

      I worship in adoration—what a creation!

   You know me inside and out,

      you know every bone in my body;

   You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,

      how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

   Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;

      all the stages of my life were spread out before you,

   The days of my life all prepared

      before I'd even lived one day.” Psalm 139:13-16

Take a moment right now and praise God for the fact that you are fearfully and wonderfully made. What are three more things that you can thank God for about your body? Are you breathing? Start there.

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You're Body is God's Temple, Not a Megachurch

By Allen White

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)

My friend, Lance Witt, posted on twitter, “Your body is God’s temple, not His mega-church.” Ouch! I have certainly allowed for more “capacity” than the Spirit needs.

Before we start down the laundry list of what we shouldn’t smoke or drink or chew, we can find two greater principles in this passage. First of all, “You are not your own; you were bought with a price.” Believers do not belong to themselves. We belong to God. We cannot do whatever we want to do with our bodies without consequences. In fact, the Bible tells us, “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires” Romans 6:12 (NIV).

The second principle is that we are to honor God with our bodies. Paul goes on in Romans 6:13 to say, “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness” (NIV).

Are you honoring or dishonoring God with your body? What things do you need to start doing to honor God with your body? What things do you need to stop doing? What accountability do you need to change?

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Money is a Tool

By Allen White

Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. Luke 16:9 (NLT)

This is an unusual verse. Is Jesus instructing us to buy friends? Doesn’t He remember the parable of the Prodigal Son? After the prodigal’s money ran out, all of his friends left (Luke 15:11-32).

What does money mean to God? Money is a tool. Money doesn’t meet our needs. God meets our needs. God provides abilities, skills and opportunities, but He also blesses us in ways that we certainly don’t expect or deserve. Money is not the provider.

Jesus is instructing us to use our money to help other people. Rather than allowing money to win over our trust and possess us, Jesus says we should use money to help other people. One insight here: Jesus wants us to use our actual money in the bank, not our credit cards. The Bible instructs us in many places about the slavery of debt (Proverbs 22:7).

Generosity is the antidote to selfishness. Blessing others by helping those in need or celebrating someone we love puts our money on deposit in our “eternal home.” When a person dies, someone typically asks, “How much did he leave behind?” The reality is the deceased person left it all behind.

How can you bless someone else in a tangible way today? Take a friend to lunch. Pay for the lunch of the stranger behind you in the drive-thru. Buy a bag of groceries and put it on the doorstep of someone who just lost their job. How can you convert your money into eternal currency today?

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Divided and Conquered

By Allen White

They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. Acts 2:46-47 (NLT)

The early church met together a lot. They met at the temple every day. They met in homes. They shared meals together. Didn’t they have jobs? We know that they didn’t have cable TV or the internet. It seems like a lot of meetings. These weren’t formal meetings. They just hung out together. They did life together.

Look at the results of their getting together. They experienced great joy and generosity. They had “favor” with all of the people, and their fellowship grew every day.

Some of the most dynamic times of my life have been spent in close contact with other believers (outside of my office hours). There is something special about being with the people of God. What’s common between us resonates deep in our souls. It’s Christ Himself.

We have an enemy who wants to divide us up, cause us to doubt our faith, and heap condemnation on us. Jesus stated the devil’s job description: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” John 10:10 (NIV) and “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” 1 Peter 5:8 (NIV). Being up against a challenger like that, we need our brothers and sisters in Christ to encourage and support us often.

What other believers do you regularly spend time with? You may not get together every day. Do you talk with them weekly? Monthly? If you don’t have other believers in your life, connect with a small group or invite someone to be your prayer partner. Who just came to mind? Ask them today.

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My Last Four Cars Have Been Free

By Allen White

And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had.  They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. Acts 2:44-45 (NLT)

My car died a while back. The mechanic called to say, “It would be better if you could stop by. I really can’t explain this over the phone.” I really wasn’t expecting any good news. The short of it was that the engine had beaten itself to death.

This wasn’t very good timing. My wife and I have been working hard for months now to get out of debt. Buying a new engine really didn’t fit in this plan. We’ve been following Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace teaching and knew that if we didn’t have the cash, we couldn’t do it. No more credit spending, even for necessary transportation.

There was one more source of funds I had yet to tap. If I could withdraw the funds, then I could buy the engine. It didn’t work out. I sat here at my desk and said, “God, I can’t make this work. I need your help.”

About an hour later, another believer who had loaned me a car told me, “You can keep that car if you need it.” Wow, I didn’t need to turn to the credit card “god.” The God of the universe provided through His Church and met my need.

What needs do you see today? How can God use you? What needs do you have today? How can He provide?

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When are You in Awe?

By Allen White

A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. Acts 2:43 (NLT)

When have you experienced a deep sense of awe?

I have experienced awe in God’s creation. Whether I was climbing to the top of Yosemite Falls, driving the California coast, or hiking the trails at Jones Gap, I get this strong sense that I am a very small part of something grand. I also experienced this listening to cellist Yo Yo Ma at the Peace Center playing a solo as an encore. The place was still except for the sounds coming from those four simple strings in the hands of a master.

There have been times of worship, when the cares of this world have finally evaporated away, and it seemed like there was nothing between me and God. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to get there. God is more than willing to meet me there, but I have to flee from the noise and the hurry of my life to meet Him.

Notice in this verse that the early church experienced awe, then they experienced miraculous signs and wonders. The church wasn’t enamored by the bells and whistles of their faith. They were enamored with God Himself. They were in awe.

As you go about your day today, pause just to remember that the Master and Creator of the Universe is right there with you. May your day be filled with a sense of awe.

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It's Not What You Say You're Devoted to

By Allen White

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. Acts 2:42 (NLT)

“Devote” seems like a somewhat outdated word. In the musical Grease, Olivia Newton John sang “hopelessly devoted to you.” Maybe the word is a relic of the 1950’s? Maybe we are so busy and preoccupied today that we don’ t have the energy to “devote” ourselves anymore. Maybe everything seems so unreliable these days that we’d rather be tentative than devoted. It just seems safe that way.

The dictionary defines “devote” as “to give up or appropriate to or concentrate on a particular pursuit, occupation, purpose, cause, etc.: to devote one's time to reading.”[1] I’ve mentioned other places that balanced really has to do with focus. To concentrate on one thing is perhaps to give up something else.

How do we make sure that our spiritual life is on track? Now, I didn’t say perfectly in order. I don’t think that happens in this life. The early church devoted themselves to four things that helped them grow: God’s Word, fellowship, sharing meals and prayer.

For some to mention food and fellowship separately may seem a little confusing. Where I grew up, fellowship equaled “pot luck.” Christian fellowship or koinonia carries with it the idea of coming together in love, faith, and encouragement (Philippians 2:1-2).

What do you devote yourself to? How would you rate yourself in terms of connecting with other believers, studying the Word together, sharing meals together and praying?

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[1] http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/devote. Accessed September 15, 2009 at 11:26 am.

The Badness of Busyness

By Allen White

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:15-17 (ESV)

Someone said a long time ago, that “if the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.” The world provides a lot of distractions.

This verse talks about three key areas, that even Jesus was tempted in (Matthew 4): pleasure, prestige and possessions. The King James Version would call these, “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.” Regardless of what terms you use, these three worldly distractions surround us every day.

Just look at television advertising. Every ad draws on at least one of these desires for pleasure, prestige or possessions. Many car commercials lead you to believe that the right automobile will give you all three simultaneously. But, if these three were truly satisfying, then we would be satisfied.

What is at the top of your list? Are you chasing after things that are “passing away” or things that are eternal? One day the “new” will wear off of worldly things, then you will be chasing something else. God wants to give you what “abides forever.” Chase after Him.

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The Hottest Chili You Will EVER Eat

By Allen White

There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:1-2 (ESV)

Condemnation is an interesting word. A study of this word reveals that it’s much stronger than it appears.

The “con” part of condemnation is similar to the Spanish word meaning “with.” If you were to order Chili con Carne, you would receive chili with meat. Condemnation literally means “with damnation.” If you ordered your chili that way, it would be some pretty hot chili.

Paul tells us here that for those of us who belong to Christ Jesus, there is no condemnation. That’s good news. Condemnation means that someone has pronounced final judgment saying that we will never change and are condemned to staying just the way we are which leads to sin and death.

As believers, the Holy Spirit convicts us of sin. God is working in us and heightens our sensitivity to what He wants for our lives. While God convicts, He doesn’t condemn believers.

What parts of your life are you afraid can never be changed? How have you gone about making changes? Some things in one form or another may dog you every day, but you don’t have to give in. You are not condemned to this. Embrace Christ’s freedom today.

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On Becoming Normal as a Christian

By Allen White

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Romans 12:1-2 (MSG)

Most versions that we read use words like “living sacrifices.” These concepts are easily disconnected from the course of our everyday life. I like how Eugene Peterson explains this familiar passage in The Message.

God isn’t looking for some sort of added on spiritual component to our lives. He wants us to fully surrender all that we have and all that we are. In God’s view, brushing our teeth is just as spiritual as raising our voices in worship. We are spiritual beings. Everything we do is spiritual.

We are whole beings. God wants us to worship Him with our whole selves.

As you go about your day today, what things would you be tempted to think are completely “unspiritual”? I would encourage you to stop during the course of your day and remember that God is with you. What you do is important to him.

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Mean Christians

By Allen White

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:17 (ESV)

People have tried to convince me that if they believe something strongly enough it becomes faith. That’s simply not true. I could believe that my black car is really orange, but that doesn’t make it orange. I could strongly believe that God will give me everything that I want, but God knows better than that. He knows that what pleases me might get in the way of what pleases Him. Why would He set me up for failure?

Faith is not strong belief. Faith is a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). The faith that God gives leads to action. Faith is not a noun. It’s a verb in the original language of the Bible.

When God gave us faith to be saved, things dramatically changed in our lives. We left behind some of our worldly ways and thinking. We’re not 100 percent there, but it’s a process, right?

I know people with tremendous Christian doctrinal statements. The biblical basis of their beliefs is impeccable. Some of these people are really mean. Most of them are very frustrated. Why? Because what we truly believe is what we actually do. If the fire alarm sounds and we don’t believe there is a fire, we don’t run out of the building.

How does your life show what you believe? What “doctrinal statement” would others write for you based on how you live?

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Thank You

I want to thank all of you have generously supported the Galatians 419 Ministry over the years. Your generous gifts have kept all of this going.

More importantly, when you who pray for this ministry and share the devotionals with your friends, it really means a lot.

If you'd like to make a tax-deductible donation in any amount:

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We are very close to reaching our goal for this quarter.

God bless,
Allen White

Working Out in God's Gym

By Allen White

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose. Philippians 2:12-13 (NIV)

I grew up with the impression that after God saved me, it was pretty much up to me to behave. I picked up a great deal of “fear and trembling” from the church I was raised in. That may or may not have been their intent, but it certainly stuck. I have found that if it’s all up to me, well, that’s just too much pressure. I’m not that good.

This passage gives me hope. God works in us to work out our salvation. No where does this verse imply that we work for our salvation or that we work to keep our salvation. God is at work in us. Those impossible tasks like “be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19) become something that God does in us. All we need to do is let God do His work. Maybe that means pausing long enough to ask God what to say or what to do rather than just reacting. It takes supernatural power to live a godly life.

What does God need to work out in your life today? What issue keeps coming up in your relationships at work, at home and in other parts of your life? Ask God for His power to help. He will.

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